Got told off by a fellow cyclist (although he was in a car!)

[the reluctant cyclist]

I was cycling home on Friday as usual - and as usual I travelled down Sandon Road in Bearwood.

Sandon Road is a really wide road and there were no parked cars on it and as usual the traffic was nose to tail - virtually standstill - or a nice steady 2/3 miles per hour!!!

I travel down this road every day pretty much - no matter what route I take and I always go on the left hand side.

The road - in my view - is plenty wide enough that even if somebody threw the car door open you have plenty of room to dodge...

... plus I was going really slowly and the traffic was going really slowly too.

I'm coming up to a junction and I can see that there's a mercedes turning out and he has seen me because he nods at me to carry on...

... there's a green golf/polo next to me and he has gone further than he would have gone if he had been turning left so I go over the junction.

As I go over the green golf/polo driver really really bibs me - not just a little "toot toot" a big old "bleeeeeeeeeeeep".

I give him a little "palm up" gesture to say "eh?" and he winds his window down...

... so I go up to the window and say really calmly "what are you bibbing me for mate?"

He replies - very angrily -

"because if YOU want to overtake ME you do it on that side (points right) not THAT side (points left) - I cycle every day and that's how cyclists get KILLED"

Okay - fair enough thinks me - I don't agree but if you feel so passionately then I'll let you have it!!!

I siad "I don't think that's true but it's your call mate" ... and went to carry on my way.

To me up to this point okay no problems - I could have done without it but so what ....

... but then as I am travelling on he turns into an idiot because he cuts me up to pull in front of me to put his car about an inch and a half away from the kerb on the left hand side - clearly to stop me from carrying on down the left!!!!!!

I was not amused and made the gesture that "now you're just being a self-gratification artist" (which I'm not proud of) but then I got scared it would get out of hand and went round around the corner to go home the long way to avoid him!

Don't know why - but the whole thing just got to me - so I thought I'd share!!!

( I suspect that I will get shot down in flames for being on the left though!!!)

 

[clarion]

Fair guess - you're much better off overtaking on the right and not in the gutter, but it's legal to pass on the left if it's more convenient, and I will do in some circumstances.

I've had a few 'cyclists' berating me from cars. One, after cutting me up, was insanely yelling that he knew more about the Tour de France than me.

Yep. Probably did. But he was being a dick in a Mercedes ML350, and I was riding perfectly legally.

That was a couple of years ago, but the latest was only last week...

 

[HLaB]

He's right, its surprising how fast and wide car door open giving you no time or space to dodge and on the right you are more likely to be in the drivers mirror/peripheral vision a lot of muppets forget they have a left one, but it was way over aggressive on his part and being on the right isn't panacea. Easy to say in hindsight but my thinking is perhaps he's witnessed or knows a cyclist that has been killed but the afters seem way too extreme, hopefully he didn't try to kill you with that cut up

 

[BentMikey]

It doesn't sound like he was being either reasonable, or right. I'd say it's generally a little better to overtake rather than undertake as you were doing, but that's not always the case. In the situation you describe, I think there's no problem with undertaking. Both have their own unique dangers, and you sound like you were cycling well, with care, and thinking about what is happening and also what could potentially occur. There's definitely no excuse for his behaviour, that's simply scummy.

Have a sympathy hug!

 

[HLaB]

It doesn't sound like he was being either reasonable, or right. I'd say it's generally a little better to overtake rather than undertake as you were doing, but that's not always the case. In the situation you describe, I think there's no problem with undertaking. Both have their own unique dangers, and you sound like you were cycling well, with care, and thinking about what is happening and also what could potentially occur. There's definitely no excuse for his behaviour, that's simply scummy.

Have a sympathy hug!

That sum's it up nicely

 

[Wankelschrauben]

You should have laughed at him and deliberately done it again just for giggles.

 

[monkeypony]

He's completely correct.

Undertaking is bloody stupid and and an accident waiting to happen.

Do yourself a favour, stop doing it!

 

[wiggydiggy]

If someones is a massive bellend then they will be whether they are on a bike or in a car. I suspect when on the bike he's someone that cycles everywhere in primary shouting 'Wahhhhnnnnnkkker' at anyone that dares to overtake or come within 20 feet of him

As I read it you were filtering safely up the inside and I cant see anything wrong with that, neither could the Merc driver by the sound of it or anyone else that didn't decide to block you

 

[Beebo]

IMO filtering on the left can sometimes be less dangerous than overtaking on the right, especially if the traffic on the other side of the road is moving very fast.

Can anyone who commutes in a busy city in rush hour put their hand up and say they never undertake vehicles.

Much of my commute is on cycle lanes and they appear to actively encourage cylists to undertake slow / stationary traffic.

What the driver did afterwards, to cut up and deliberately block the OP is unforgivable.

 

[the reluctant cyclist]

Yeah - it was the blocking bit that got me too!

I just don't like being shouted at by blokes in cars I suppose!!!!! I am a laaaaaady afterall (well sometimes!!!)

Thanks for the comments!!!

 

[wiggydiggy]

NP

My normal route is virtually all left lane filtering (in a 'cycle path') and although occasionally I get blocked its generally ok. Like someone has already said overtaking 'properly' can be more dangerous, certainly if I tried that I'd get squashed as the traffic passes closer to each other than the curbs

 

[lulubel]

It sounds like he's the kind of person who doesn't have the ability to use his own judgement of what is and isn't safe, so he has to have set rules to follow. Unfortunately, he thinks everyone else must be the same.

I don't often ride in traffic, but when I do, I use my judgement of whether it's safe to filter and where to filter if it is safe. That can mean along either side, depending on the circumstances.

It sounds to me like you were being cautious and sensible, and not doing anything wrong.

 

[benb]

It completely depends on the situation whether it's safer to overtake on the outside or inside - neither one is always better than the other.
I generally prefer to go on the right, but there are plenty of times when I go on the left.

The main one is to never, never go on the left approaching a junction.

He may have had a valid point, but the way he made was bang out of order.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

It completely depends on the situation whether it's safer to overtake on the outside or inside - neither one is always better than the other.
I generally prefer to go on the right, but there are plenty of times when I go on the left.

The main one is to never, never go on the left approaching a junction.

He may have had a valid point, but the way he made was bang out of order.

I always cycle as I would drive. Overtake not undertake. It is personal preference nothing more. The driver was out of order no doubt but IMHO his point, up until he cut up the OP, was valid.

 

[MacB]

He's completely correct.

Undertaking is bloody stupid and and an accident waiting to happen.

Do yourself a favour, stop doing it!

and if there had been an on road cycle lane going up the left here?